Miss Zomboko
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- May 18, 2014
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The article was written to create awareness, dialogue and action to avoid religious contention.
It is free for publication and sharing with credit to the author.
October 1, 2017
So, what is the big deal about the song “Hallelujah” by the artist Diamond Platinum? Isn’t it another hit that is rocking the air waves in Tanzania, perhaps overseas? I do not know much about him other than the fact that he is a Tanzanian music artist.
His international exposure sets high expectations for him as a Tanzanian ambassador in music and arts. While his fans are going gaga, it is important to put on our thinking caps and closely evaluate the potential impact of his new single track titled “Hallelujah.”
The problem is not the use of the word “Hallelujah,” but rather the context in which the word is being used and how it is interpreted through the song. The artist contextualizes and interprets the word in a sensual framework. Even if we were to assume that he is “praising God” for the gorgeous woman he is alluding to, still, his creative work renders itself to a systemic problem.
The word can be used where married couples are expressing the joy of sex as a gift from God. Apart from the confines of acceptable norms of marital intimacy, the word will be out of context because God does not condone fornication and related behaviors. The word can be used in the joys of triumph and brokenness as exaltation of God regardless of the circumstances.
Therefore, Diamond and others who have wrongly used the word stand to be informed and pointed to the correct interpretation. In Diamond’s song, whether done strategically, arrogantly or out of sheer ignorance, the bigger picture of the problem is a case of religious defamation, and indeed, blasphemy. How is this possible? Well, let me explain.
Just as Arabic is the original language for the Quran, so is Hebrew and the Septuagint (oldest form of Greek) for the Bible. There is a lot of grammatical explanation, but I will summarize it in a very basic way: the authentic meaning of the word “Hallelujah” in Hebrew is “Praise the Lord.” It is a compound word formed by two Hebrew words: Halal – “Praise” and Yah (Yahweh) – “the Lord.” Hence, Hallelujah means let us praise the Lord.
According to Professor Jonathan Lipnick from the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, “Unlike other words in the Bible that were translated, Hallelujah was left in the original form because it was considered too sacred, too authentic to be violated in a way that it would depart from the original.”
Now that we understand the sacredness of the word, let me explain how the case of religious defamation can arise from the song. The geo-religious space has changed significantly from the past. More tension exists between religions as exhibited across the world. If religious sacredness is handled carelessly, the countries that almost share an equal demographic of Islamic and Christian believers are at the highest risk. Tanzania happens to be one of those countries that both religions share the most space.
In the United Nations, the case of religious defamation took a long time to come up with a resolution from 1999 until 2010. The reason for the discourse was among others to ascertain that religious defamation is a violation of human rights.
To avoid any claim that I am being subjective in explaining religious defamation, I will explain it by a counter argument against it as written by Zamir Akram who is a Muslim from Pakistan. He was writing to the Ad Hoc Committee of the United Nation in October 29, 2009. Zamir was explaining why the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) would not abandon the idea of defamation of religion. The letter declares;
All religions are sacred and merit equal respect and protection. Double standards, including institutional preferential treatment for one religion or group of people must be avoided. The OIC demands similar sanctity for all religions, their religious personalities, symbols and followers. Tolerance and understanding cannot merely be addressed through open debate and inter-cultural dialogue as defamation trends are spreading to the grass root levels. These growing tendencies need to be checked by introducing a single universal humanitarian rights framework.
With reference to the counter argument against religious defamation by Zamir, Diamond’s song is going against the declaration of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the United Nations. I will also broaden the letter’s declaration to cover all forms of communication such as media, advertising, billboards and so forth.
The fact of the matter is that religious defamation arouses contentious sentiments and polarizes religious communities. Can you imagine for a minute; what if a Christian artist would equally misconstrue a sacred Islamic word?
What if they contextualized it within sensuality and sensationalism-and by doing so, they got some million impressions on social media? Would it incite or cause a type of intifada? Thus, a stitch in time saves nine - as the old adage goes; a timely management of insensitive religious expressions will save a lot of chaos.
It was through my Facebook feed that I saw a post that was oozing with agitation at how the word was desecrated. Then I started thinking about the potential negative impact of the song in the Christian community. But I was comforted by the management of religious polarity in Tanzania between Christians and Muslims.
I use the word management because the potential for religious feuds are volcanic. Thank God that even though Christians and Muslims are almost equal in numbers, religious peace and stability has been managed amicably. Thank God for the wisdom of religious leaders from both sides, the government, and the solidarity of the Tanzanian people beyond religious differences.
And then I thought maybe I should just keep quiet and let it be. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to do so as a musical artist and as theology student who uses the word “Hallelujah” in sacred worship of God. I reached a conclusion that it would only be fair to share my comments and hopefully influence a positive discussion and action.
The privilege of influence entails responsibility and accountability. As a content creator myself, I must consider all the facts and facets to the best of my knowledge. I am not saying that the artist in question did not do his homework. I am also not implying that people of all faiths do not have moral and spiritual contradictions on sacred issues.
We will be responsible for such contradictions both in secret and in public before our Maker. For example; one artist that used the word “Hallelujah” in expressing his contradictions was Leonard Cohen (who was said to be a Jew). His song “Hallelujah” has been quoted as being a beautiful, ironic and melancholic masterpiece that relates to God and the artist’s emotional journey.
Leonard himself explained that, “Hallelujah is a Hebrew word which means ‘Glory to the Lord; The Song explains that many kinds of Hallelujahs do exist. I say: All the perfect and broken Hallelujahs have an equal value. It’s a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion…” Although he had his share of spiritual and moral contradictions with the sacred, his rendition of “Hallelujah” sincerely connects God to his circumstances in life in meaningful ways.
In all fairness, there are Christians who abuse or blaspheme the sacred. However, in all social groups that share the same codes, the tendency is to allow impunity within the family but not for those who are not of the family. Diamond is a Muslim, and because of being of a different family, it is highly likely for his presentation to be deemed as desecrating a sacred word in Christian faith.
In conclusion, it is my hope that a healthy discussion will arise for the sake of religious and civil peace. I also hope that the artists will be careful on how they influence their communities and the nation at large as good ambassadors. Fame and fortune that leads to destruction and disorder of people is insignificant and a haunting legacy.
There is an intricate balance for freedom of expression and respect for religion that must be observed. Religious defamation is an attack to human dignity that can incite violence if not managed. It also equals desecration which is defined as the act of depriving something of its sacred character, or the disrespectful, contemptuous, or destructive treatment of that which is held sacred or holy by a group or individual.
If I were to advise, the artist should withdraw his sacrilegiously controversial Hallelujah single. Otherwise, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania should intervene and ban it for the sake of religious peace and harmony.
Dennis M.
(Media Producer. Musical Artist. Minister)
Former ITV Producer/Director.
www.thedmass.com Twitter @thedmass
It is free for publication and sharing with credit to the author.
October 1, 2017
So, what is the big deal about the song “Hallelujah” by the artist Diamond Platinum? Isn’t it another hit that is rocking the air waves in Tanzania, perhaps overseas? I do not know much about him other than the fact that he is a Tanzanian music artist.
His international exposure sets high expectations for him as a Tanzanian ambassador in music and arts. While his fans are going gaga, it is important to put on our thinking caps and closely evaluate the potential impact of his new single track titled “Hallelujah.”
The problem is not the use of the word “Hallelujah,” but rather the context in which the word is being used and how it is interpreted through the song. The artist contextualizes and interprets the word in a sensual framework. Even if we were to assume that he is “praising God” for the gorgeous woman he is alluding to, still, his creative work renders itself to a systemic problem.
The word can be used where married couples are expressing the joy of sex as a gift from God. Apart from the confines of acceptable norms of marital intimacy, the word will be out of context because God does not condone fornication and related behaviors. The word can be used in the joys of triumph and brokenness as exaltation of God regardless of the circumstances.
Therefore, Diamond and others who have wrongly used the word stand to be informed and pointed to the correct interpretation. In Diamond’s song, whether done strategically, arrogantly or out of sheer ignorance, the bigger picture of the problem is a case of religious defamation, and indeed, blasphemy. How is this possible? Well, let me explain.
Just as Arabic is the original language for the Quran, so is Hebrew and the Septuagint (oldest form of Greek) for the Bible. There is a lot of grammatical explanation, but I will summarize it in a very basic way: the authentic meaning of the word “Hallelujah” in Hebrew is “Praise the Lord.” It is a compound word formed by two Hebrew words: Halal – “Praise” and Yah (Yahweh) – “the Lord.” Hence, Hallelujah means let us praise the Lord.
According to Professor Jonathan Lipnick from the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, “Unlike other words in the Bible that were translated, Hallelujah was left in the original form because it was considered too sacred, too authentic to be violated in a way that it would depart from the original.”
Now that we understand the sacredness of the word, let me explain how the case of religious defamation can arise from the song. The geo-religious space has changed significantly from the past. More tension exists between religions as exhibited across the world. If religious sacredness is handled carelessly, the countries that almost share an equal demographic of Islamic and Christian believers are at the highest risk. Tanzania happens to be one of those countries that both religions share the most space.
In the United Nations, the case of religious defamation took a long time to come up with a resolution from 1999 until 2010. The reason for the discourse was among others to ascertain that religious defamation is a violation of human rights.
To avoid any claim that I am being subjective in explaining religious defamation, I will explain it by a counter argument against it as written by Zamir Akram who is a Muslim from Pakistan. He was writing to the Ad Hoc Committee of the United Nation in October 29, 2009. Zamir was explaining why the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) would not abandon the idea of defamation of religion. The letter declares;
All religions are sacred and merit equal respect and protection. Double standards, including institutional preferential treatment for one religion or group of people must be avoided. The OIC demands similar sanctity for all religions, their religious personalities, symbols and followers. Tolerance and understanding cannot merely be addressed through open debate and inter-cultural dialogue as defamation trends are spreading to the grass root levels. These growing tendencies need to be checked by introducing a single universal humanitarian rights framework.
With reference to the counter argument against religious defamation by Zamir, Diamond’s song is going against the declaration of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the United Nations. I will also broaden the letter’s declaration to cover all forms of communication such as media, advertising, billboards and so forth.
The fact of the matter is that religious defamation arouses contentious sentiments and polarizes religious communities. Can you imagine for a minute; what if a Christian artist would equally misconstrue a sacred Islamic word?
What if they contextualized it within sensuality and sensationalism-and by doing so, they got some million impressions on social media? Would it incite or cause a type of intifada? Thus, a stitch in time saves nine - as the old adage goes; a timely management of insensitive religious expressions will save a lot of chaos.
It was through my Facebook feed that I saw a post that was oozing with agitation at how the word was desecrated. Then I started thinking about the potential negative impact of the song in the Christian community. But I was comforted by the management of religious polarity in Tanzania between Christians and Muslims.
I use the word management because the potential for religious feuds are volcanic. Thank God that even though Christians and Muslims are almost equal in numbers, religious peace and stability has been managed amicably. Thank God for the wisdom of religious leaders from both sides, the government, and the solidarity of the Tanzanian people beyond religious differences.
And then I thought maybe I should just keep quiet and let it be. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to do so as a musical artist and as theology student who uses the word “Hallelujah” in sacred worship of God. I reached a conclusion that it would only be fair to share my comments and hopefully influence a positive discussion and action.
The privilege of influence entails responsibility and accountability. As a content creator myself, I must consider all the facts and facets to the best of my knowledge. I am not saying that the artist in question did not do his homework. I am also not implying that people of all faiths do not have moral and spiritual contradictions on sacred issues.
We will be responsible for such contradictions both in secret and in public before our Maker. For example; one artist that used the word “Hallelujah” in expressing his contradictions was Leonard Cohen (who was said to be a Jew). His song “Hallelujah” has been quoted as being a beautiful, ironic and melancholic masterpiece that relates to God and the artist’s emotional journey.
Leonard himself explained that, “Hallelujah is a Hebrew word which means ‘Glory to the Lord; The Song explains that many kinds of Hallelujahs do exist. I say: All the perfect and broken Hallelujahs have an equal value. It’s a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion…” Although he had his share of spiritual and moral contradictions with the sacred, his rendition of “Hallelujah” sincerely connects God to his circumstances in life in meaningful ways.
In all fairness, there are Christians who abuse or blaspheme the sacred. However, in all social groups that share the same codes, the tendency is to allow impunity within the family but not for those who are not of the family. Diamond is a Muslim, and because of being of a different family, it is highly likely for his presentation to be deemed as desecrating a sacred word in Christian faith.
In conclusion, it is my hope that a healthy discussion will arise for the sake of religious and civil peace. I also hope that the artists will be careful on how they influence their communities and the nation at large as good ambassadors. Fame and fortune that leads to destruction and disorder of people is insignificant and a haunting legacy.
There is an intricate balance for freedom of expression and respect for religion that must be observed. Religious defamation is an attack to human dignity that can incite violence if not managed. It also equals desecration which is defined as the act of depriving something of its sacred character, or the disrespectful, contemptuous, or destructive treatment of that which is held sacred or holy by a group or individual.
If I were to advise, the artist should withdraw his sacrilegiously controversial Hallelujah single. Otherwise, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania should intervene and ban it for the sake of religious peace and harmony.
Dennis M.
(Media Producer. Musical Artist. Minister)
Former ITV Producer/Director.
www.thedmass.com Twitter @thedmass
